October Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 10/27/2017:
Striped bass have been abundant in tidal rivers, as the lower bay region is finally experiencing some consistently cold weather. Anglers on the Patuxent and up to Cove Point have been experiencing some excellent fishing, with larger fish than they'’re finding up north. There are still some spot around in this region, so live-lining remains an option though it is becoming much more difficult to gather your baits. J&W reports that some anglers have been catching fish in the mid 30s, primarily those trolling channel edges on the eastern side of the Bay. But blues are thinning out and Spanish mackerel didn't come up in any of the reports this week. There may be a straggler here or there, but this species seems to have turned tail and headed south for the season.
The other consistent area to try for stripers remains the north shore of the lower Potomac, from Cornfield Harbor up to Tall Timbers, and though most of these fish are school-sized residents there are some up to 30 inches or so around. As live-lining becomes tougher, the bulk of the fleet is either jigging BKDs, Bust 'Ems, and Bass Assassins on half-ounce heads or is trolling six-inch Tsunamis and tandems.
The eastern side of the Bay has also still been holding a few puppy drum, which the Tackle Box reports have been biting bits of clam. They also said that the colder weather has decreased the number of spot and bluefish being found in the Lower Bay region. But scattered reports of (mostly small) weakfish are still filtering in from anglers fishing deep along edges and structure with small jigging spoons. We also had some reader reports of flounder still being caught, mostly small and mostly by accident while bottom fishing with bloodworms.
On both the eastern and western sides, anglers fishing in the river mouths at sunrise and sunset are catching fish on topwater in the shallows. The lower Patuxent was again mentioned as a good area, and a reader emailed to say there was a good bite in the shallows of the St. Mary's river as well.
There are still some crabs around, but few recreational crabbers chasing after them at this point.
October Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 10/20/2017:
Livelining has still been hot in waters of the southern Chesapeake, where warmer temperatures have allowed species such as spot and bluefish to continue to thrive as we move into the end of October. Spot have continued to hold on hard bottoms in about 12 to 20 feet of water, according to J & W. Point Lookout has had decent sized spot in fairly large numbers, as has the mouth of the Potomac in general, and more can be found on the hard bottom off Point No Point. Liveliners have mainly been working channel edges, in particular around the lower Potomac's northern shore from Point Lookout up to the Tall Timbers area, along drop-offs in the mid 20 foot range. Rockfish have also been hanging around the target ships, however the Tackle Box reports that fewer and fewer are being caught in that area.
J & W also reported that a fair amount of sea trout are being caught. Most anglers catching them have been hanging around the target ships, or fishing deep in the rivers and along channel edges. Vertical jigging with spoons like Stingsilvers and Lil' Bunker in silver, orange/yellow, and chartreuse color patterns will get the weakfish on the line. A few small speckled trout are also being reported by anglers bottom fishing along edges of the river channels and creek mouths with bloodworms. A few larger ones are being caught by anglers fishing the shallows early and late in the day.
Reports of reds and Spanish mackerel have thinned out and we couldn't get first-hand confirmation of any this week. That doesn't mean you can't get in a last shot at either, but the days of investing a lot of time focusing on them may have passed.
October Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 10/13/2017:
Unfortunately action in the Lower Bay for some of the more exotic Chesapeake species has dropped off this week, and J & W reports that fewer and fewer redfish are being caught in the Lower Bay. In fact reports of action for all species has experienced a significant drop off near the target ships, however, this could be attributed to foul weather this past week, as many anglers didn’t have the chance to get out on the water.
On the flip side of the coin, shallow water fishing has been picking up. Stripers and a few speckled trout have been hitting topwater at daybreak in the lower Potomac and St. Mary's Rivers, and although most are small there are some keepers around. Anglers who are able to find spot are still having luck on some larger fish live-lining along the drop-offs on the Maryland side, at the mouth of the Potomac. Some are also running north to the Diamonds in the Choptank, where there's steadily been a fleet of live-liners.
One boat did report finding some cobia last week (note - this was a lone report we were unable to confirm), but any cobia left in Maryland waters are stragglers and it'll be hard to target them at this point. Blues are still around, however, and trollers using spoons were encountering them along with the possibility of picking up a last Spanish mackerel or two. After the recent chill, however, there's a good chance the presence of Spanish macks will taper off.
Perch fishing has been stellar in local rivers, and bottom fishermen are also encountering some croaker willing to bite plus puffer fish and (mostly small) flounder. Interestingly, those using bloodworms on bottom rigs have also been catching some small (undersized) weakfish and speckled trout in 15' to 25' depths.
October Lower Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report 10/6/2017:
The Tackle Box and J & W both reported that although rockfish are being caught, most have been undersized. Many anglers have been trolling and jigging this past week, most catching plenty of fish in the 18 to 22 inch range. Some larger fish have been holding under smaller fish, and are best caught with deep diving crank bait, or just a jig off bottom. Trolling the middle grounds and near the target ships has produced some decent sized blues as well as rockfish. Liveliners seem to be doing okay with the larger fish in these areas, however many are still encountering the age-old problem of bluefish. The redfish bite is still happening in these areas, too, although it has slowed a bit from recent weeks. Check out Walleye Pete's article Chesapeake Bay Bull Redfish for the tactical details.
Spot have been thinning out up north but are still plentiful over shell bottom, near Point Lookout and Point No Point. Anglers have been filling the livewell and then sticking around the drop-offs in the 20' to 30 range at the mouth of the Potomac, to turn the spot into stripers.
Unfortunately, the great cobia season in the Lower Chesapeake this year seems to have drawn to a close. Here's one last taste, as we begin waiting and hoping this fantastic species returns to Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake again next spring.
J & W also has had reports of speckled trout holding in the Rappahannock, as well as spot and perch. See the Way South and Virginia Report, for more details on this opportunity. Bottom fishing has been good; spot, perch, and the occasional puffer fish and croaker are taking bloodworms and other cut bait on bottom rigs. A few small weakfish have also been popping up.
Crabbing has stayed good, and most crabbers have been bringing home a bushel a day.